


Rituals and Roses

by QuinTalon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Curse Breaking, Curses, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Friendship, Mysterious illness, Post-Hogwarts, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 20:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20442137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuinTalon/pseuds/QuinTalon
Summary: Narcissa Malfoy has been suffering from a mysterious illness for years and it seems time is running out. Desperate to save her, Draco reaches out to a witch who may be his last hope. Could Hermione Granger be the key to saving her?





	Rituals and Roses

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by 'The Loveliest Rose in the World' by Hans Christian Andersen.
> 
> All my love and thanks to nuclearnik for being my alpha and beta for this. And for all the hours she spent listening to my ramblings on this story. Thanks for being my much needed support on this, my sweet friend! 💛
> 
> Disclaimer: Many thanks to JK Rowling for creating an amazing world we love to play in. I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, they just were kind enough to help me tell this story.

* * *

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

**_Once upon a time…_ **

There once was a beautiful witch who was loved by all who knew her. She was just and kind, but also cunning and powerful. She was the happy wife to a wealthy wizard and the proud mother of a handsome son.

This lovely witch and her family lived in a large, sprawling manor that gleamed in the sun on the hillside where it sat nestled in green lawns and expansive gardens. The gardens were the witch’s personal retreat and she walked there daily, her favorite part being the rose garden. She had all kinds of roses growing there, every type and size and color, and she tended to them all with great care.

For many years, the witch and her family lived happily. But the day came when sadness and tears filled the halls where happiness and laughter once reigned. The witch fell ill and the family healer said there was nothing he could do. The witch was dying. Her husband, desperate for her health to return, called on all the top healers, potioneers, and wise wizards of the age. The healers ran many tests and cast many charms, the potioneers brewed and tested many potions, and the wise wizards debated many options and causes, but to no avail. The witch grew weaker each day.

The witch’s husband refused to give up and sought out a gifted seer in the hopes of finding a cure for his cherished wife. The seer was a willowy woman with large spectacles that made her eyes look overly large as she peered at the wizard. She was quiet for a long moment before she rasped out in a low voice, “Your beloved can yet be cured. Find and bring her the loveliest rose in the world, one that embodies the purest and brightest love. If it is presented to her by someone with great affection for her, she will not die.”

Filled with hope, the wizard spared no expense in the search for the world’s loveliest rose. Witches and wizards from all over the world brought him the most beautiful roses they could find. He handed each to his dear wife, praying this would be the one that would bring the blush back to her cheeks and the sparkle back to her eyes. The healers, potioneers, and wise wizards were all given one petal from each rose and told to study it to see if a cure could be extracted, brewed, or discovered. But no rose brought to the witch alleviated her illness and she continued to fade.

Each day the witch’s young son, though only six years of age, sat at his mother’s bedside and read to her. He was a bright child and had a love of reading and learning. He read all of his favorite stories to her, doing the voices as best he could and sounding out words he didn’t know. He loved that his reading always brought a smile to his mother’s face and seemed to ease her pain. Though young, he understood that his mother was ill and weak. 

One day, he was in the rose garden she so loved and saw a beautiful pink rose, perfect in color and shape. He plucked the flower and ran to his mother, smiling sweetly as he stood by her bedside with his prize hidden behind his back. Eager to give her his gift, he bounced on his toes for a moment before thrusting the rose towards her proudly. The boy watched with wide eyes as she smiled warmly at him, yet struggled to lift her hand. He patted her thin hand with his chubby one.

“I’ll hold it for you, Mother.” 

The witch nodded weakly as the boy climbed into bed and nestled beside her. He pulled out the book he had been reading to her the previous day, continuing where he left off. The story was about a powerful witch who was skilled in healing. The little boy wished with all his heart that the witch in the story could heal his mother. As he read the words of a healing spell spoken by the witch in the story, he felt a force flow out of him into the rose he still held clutched in his hand. The rose began to glow and startled the child. His grip on the stem tightened and his palm was pierced by a thorn. He cried out in pain and dropped the rose. His mother, who loved her son dearly, used every bit of strength she had to pull the child to her, kissing his injured palm as she wiped his tears. 

“What happened, my dragon?” the witch asked.

“Mother, I’m alright. I gripped the flower too tightly. It was so lovely, I thought it might cheer you to see it.” The child gently placed the rose in his mother’s hand and watched in awe as she was surrounded by a faint golden glow.

The witch’s pale face began to regain its color, her dull hair began to glisten and shine, and her tired eyes began to clear and brighten. She sat up and smiled down at her son.

“Draco, my son, you have healed me,” she whispered.

The boy cried out, “Father! Father, come quickly!”

The boy’s father ran into the room, face pale with worry. He took in the sight of his beautiful wife laughing merrily as she hugged their son. His greatest wish had been granted. 

His wife would live.

* * *

** _That night, many miles away…_ **

“Mummy, will you read to me?” a sweet little voice asked.

The child’s mother smiled down at her daughter, lovingly smoothing back the wild curls that fell across her face. “Of course, my little rose. What shall we read tonight?”

The little girl beamed and ran to grab a well-worn book, read many times over. It was her favorite, full of wonderful stories of love and magic, and though she was a clever little thing and could read it all on her own, she loved to listen to her mother’s soothing voice as she told the stories. Tonight she read the girl the story of the dashing knight that saved the princess from the evil dragon. 

“Mummy, do think the dragon really was evil? Or was he lonely and only wanted the princess to be his friend?”

“Oh my sweet rose, you have such a beautiful heart. What do you think?”

The little girl squinted her eyes as she thought. “I don’t think the dragon was evil. Being scary looking doesn’t mean you are bad. I think he just needed a friend and the princess was kind.”

The mother was proud of her daughter and told her so. “Shall we read another, little one?”

Snuggling into her mother’s lap as she began another tale, the girl was soon fast asleep and dreaming of princesses and knights, dragons and magic.

Smiling down at her daughter as she tucked her into bed, the mother kissed her forehead whispering, “Sleep well, Hermione.”

* * *

** _And they all lived happily ever after... _ **

For a time. As with all things in life, challenges emerge that we do not anticipate and the things we hold most dear can be threatened. Enemies can arise and battles fought, lives can be lost or saved, darkness can be embraced or defeated. What we value highest can become unimportant and things we disregarded in the past can become everything. But if we are brave enough and strong enough, we can overcome the challenges in our path and grow into something better. We can choose to let these challenges destroy us or temper us into something stronger.

The little boy who loves his mother and the clever little girl who is kind will both face this decision, more than once. Both will experience triumph and defeat, will come up against great evil and prevail, and in time, both will discover the world’s greatest magic.

After all, this is just the beginning of our tale...


End file.
